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August 04, 2019

The Brainerd Dispatch - Today's Entertainment Magazine

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2 • August 4 - 10, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Breanna Henry TV Media R ue Bennett is a drug addict. De- spite having been recently re- leased from a rehab center, she is not recovering, and does not intend to remain clean. She routinely meets strangers online for "hook-ups," browses sketchy websites, and lies about her age. Rue is only 17-years-old, and luck- ily for her parents, she is a fictional character from the premium cable show "Euphoria," played by Disney Channel graduate Zendaya ("Spider- Man: Far From Home," 2019). If you haven't been keeping up with "Eu- phoria" so far, you can stream previ- ous episodes on HBO Go, and the Season 1 finale (titled "And Salt the Earth Behind You") airs Sunday, Aug. 4, on HBO. The fantastic cast of fresh young actors "Euphoria" revolves around includes Jacob Elordi ("The Kissing Booth," 2018) as angry, confused jock Nate; Algee Smith ("The Hate U Give," 2018) as struggling college athlete Chris; Barbie Ferreira ("Di- vorce") as insecure, sexually curious Kat; Sydney Sweeney ("Sharp Ob- jects") as Cassie, who can't seem to escape her past; and the show's breakout star, trans runway model Hunter Schafer in her first role as Jules, a transgender teen girl looking to find the place she belongs. Cap all that talent off with an incredible per- formance by the show's lead, Zenda- ya, and there is no reason to ques- tion why "Euphoria" is becoming one of the most popular shows on HBO. "Euphoria" follows a group of Generation Z (the group that came right after Millennials) students as they navigate their way through their late teen years into adulthood, and deal with the problems unique to their generation. Racy videos posted online, fentanyl abuse and social media drama weren't issues you had to deal with in high school before Generation Z came along, but the classic problems like bullies, par- ents, secrets and crushes are still very much part of these teens' lives. In many ways, "Eupho- ria" represents a bridge of understanding between modern parents and children; while the show may take dra- ma to the extreme in some cases, many aspects of the show's storyline do occur in the life of to- day's average teen. A review of the show on Vox interpreted "Euphoria" perfectly, saying, "The [series] has gotten a lot of attention for depicting 'how the teens live today,' but its greatest strength isn't what's timely about it, but what's eternal about it."The way the show mixes these themes together is seamless and ab- solutely stunning. HBO is well known for its bound- ary-pushing, extravagant and origi- nal television series; there are things one expects when it comes to an HBO original — more mature con- tent, more production value, higher quality — and "Euphoria" has hit every one of these marks with its first sea- son. The cinematogra- phy, colors and design are out-of-this-world on their own, but couple them with stunning cam- era direction and unique shots, and "Eupho- ria" could stand tall even without amazing storylines and great acting. Episodes are interwoven with flashbacks to the characters' child- hoods, and we're shown how those moments relate to current issues and events in their lives. The way the show uses images to convey its story is truly something worth seeing, even if the plot doesn't excite you. You can't talk about "Euphoria" without talking about mental health. Zendaya's character, Rue has dealt with anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit Disor- der since early childhood, and was first given Valium at the age of 11; this, along with the death of her fa- ther, drives the teen to begin taking drugs as she searches for the two seconds of "euphoria" in which she isn't plagued by her mental state. The moments of the show that truly stand out are Zendaya's voice- over monologues, which are poi- gnant, thought-provoking and relat- able for viewers who have experi- enced similar situations. Jill Gutowitz of Nylon Magazine wrote, "I was ac- tually happy — and by 'happy,' I mean devastated — to see the things I feel and endure mirrored." She also called "Euphoria" "TV's most realistic portrayal of anxiety." The portrayal of the dark side of mental health in the show is very real, and neither sugar-coats or vili- fies the issue. Critics of the series say it brings back memories of "Reefer Madness" (1936), or assert that it's trying too hard, but there are many more mo- ments in "Euphoria" I consider must- see scenes than cringe-worthy shock bait. The series has been gaining more and more viewers each epi- sode, and HBO even ordered a sec- ond season of the show in July. (Take that, haters.) The show boasts a tal- ented, if somewhat odd, group of producers that include Canadian rapper Drake and his manager, Fu- ture the Prince, as well as Peabody Award-winning writer Gary Lennon, and 71-year-old Tmira Yardeni, a pro- lific producer from Tel Aviv, Israel. If you came here looking for spoil- ers on the finale, you're out of luck. HBO is keeping Rue, Jules, Kat and Fezco's antics on lock-down. Does "Euphoria" sound like the kind of show you could get into? Get caught up on HBO Go, and absolutely do not miss the season finale airing Sunday, Aug. 4, on HBO. Generation Z(endaya) Freshman season of 'Euphoria' wraps up on HBO Cover Story this week Hunter Schafer in a scene from "Euphoria" Conan Yesterday, the U.S. women's soccer team defeated the team from the Netherlands to win the World Cup. Despite the loss, the Netherlands team still celebrated, 'cause they have healthcare. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not too happy. She told the younger members of Congress to stop tweeting. Pelosi said, "The real fun is checking out me and Chuck Schumer on Myspace." The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon What a crazy weekend here in New York City, there was a huge blackout for hours. New Yorkers were trapped on subways, traffic was at a standstill and there was no air conditioning at Port Authority ... then the blackout hit. We're right in the middle of Amazon Prime Day, and I read that one of the top-selling items is the Instant Pot. It's also one of the most returned items when stoners realize it's not what they thought it was. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert The CDC reports that more than 700 people have been infected by measles this year, marking a 25-year high for the infectious disease because people aren't vaccinating against it! Your ancestors are saying, "I'd trade places with you, but I died of measles!" The Late Late Show with James Corden Customs officials in the Philippines were inspecting a gift-wrapped box of cookies coming into the country, only to discover the box actually contained 757 smuggled live tarantulas. Customs officials would never have discovered them if one of the spiders wasn't packing a tube of shampoo larger than three ounces. Late Laughs Truth Lutheran Church 501 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, MN (Corner of 5th & Kingwood) truthlutheranchurch.com An LCMC Congregation …Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ Sunday worship 9 AM Fellowship and Sunday school following worship To help support BCA: Make a tax deductible donation: BrainerdCommunityAction.org and use the "Click Here to Donate" Button. Brainerd Community Action is looking forward to launching its very first COMMUNITY GIVE BACK GRANT! Contact Cassie with questions at Cassie@BrainerdCommunityAction.org Downloadthe"VistBrainerd"App intheAppleorGooglePlayStores. Events,lodgingandthingstodo inthepalmofyourhand. VISITBRAINERD PlanningYour VisittoBrainerd JustGotEasier. TheOfficialDMOforBaxterandBrainerd,MN EntertainmentGuide_July_2x4.indd 1 6/26/2019 12:42:53PM

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